Church Weddings

Grace Tan In Chinese Weddings, Church Weddings, Weddings

The Wedding of Han How + Lydia

Photographers: Grace & Johan
Location: Trinity Methodist Church, PJ & Renaissance Hotel, KL
Wedding Gown: Pretty in White (white gown) & Love Vision (dinner gown)
Hair & Make up: Shinny Ong
Flowers & Decorations: Elshan Cas Sdn Bhd (church) & Rennaisance Hotel (dinner)
Videography: Nigel Sia

There’s a verse in the Bible that says…

Two are better than one,
because they have a good return for their work:

If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!

Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?

Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

If you ever get to know Han How & Lydia, you’ll know that this is one relationship that is strong. It’s strong not just because of the bond of love that glues them together, but because Christ is in the centre of all they do. A cord of three strands is not quickly broken.

Han How and Lydia’s wedding was filled with lots of love, laughter and warmth. The worship session in church was so uplifting and spirit filled, I could not help but sing along as I pressed the shutter button on my camera. Even Johan said that there was something different about this church wedding.

Han How & Lydia, I am so blessed to have been there at your wedding, photographing the both of you. I am always happy to be photographing weddings, but more so when the couple are personal friends of mine. Keep this strand strong between the both of you and God. All the best for the future!

Here are a selection of my favourite images from their wedding.

The heng tais looking pweetty.

They had to go to a coffee shop near Lydia’s home and ask strangers to stick little heart-shaped stickers on their faces…

Grace Tan In Church Weddings, Weddings

A Delicious Wedding: Ben & Angela

Photographers: Grace & Johan
Wedding Gown & Shoes: Pretty in White
Groom’s Attire: Jason’s Men Shop
Hair & Make Up: Kim Cheng
Location: Zion Lutheran Church, Brickfields & Delicious, Marc Residence
Decorations: Spring Cottage
Stationery: By bride & groom
Cake: Lim Siew Ee
Entertainment: Isaac Ravi & Debra Nita

29th April 2009…Where it all began…

Ben: We met on April 29^th 2009, when I was asked by a friend to help Angela move her furniture. After moving her out, she offered me a coke and we sat on her empty room floor talking about all sorts of things that you only talk about to long-time friends. She was in home shorts, had her hair tied up, glasses on (and contacts out), non-make-upped, and had a great smile right from the start. Love at first sight! And we were dating 2 months later.

Angela: A young ‘ang-moh’ guy who wore a properly-ironed black shirt and black jeans with a pair of Havaianas flip flops to move a heap of furniture… who does that?! But our friendship clicked instantly. I love talking about life – and he understands the depth of life. I love expressing myself in writing – and his passion is writing. I love knowing someone genuinely – and he allowed me to. That evening, we had Jon Schmidt playing Love Story Meets Viva la Vida (on repeat) in the background as we chatted for about an hour about everything. When he left, I thought, “wow, that was the best conversation I’ve had in years (literally, years!!)” After he left, I thought very much of him, yes!!

Grace Tan In Chinese Weddings, Church Weddings, Malay Weddings, Weddings

May Weddings

May has been a busy month for the Stories team. There’s just so much to share but I haven’t had time to organize my thoughts into a blog post! So here’s a quick summary of the most recent weddings that we photographed in May. Congratulations to all of you!

20th May – Fahrizal & Shirah

21st May – Fun & Dong Liang

28th May – Ben & Angela (by the way, this is one of the largest group photos I’ve ever photographed)

This week and part of next week, I’ll be away in Singapore, Nikoi Island (an island near Bintan, Indonesia) and Kuching, Sarawak. Do keep in touch via Facebook or Twitter!

Grace Tan In Church Weddings, International, Weddings

Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove, Gold Coast Wedding: Jamie & Ann

Photographers: Grace & Alex
Wedding Gown: Brides Desire
Groom’s Attire: Le Grand Wedding, Singapore
Make Up: Rebecca Calvert
Ceremony Location: Hyatt Regency Sanctuary Cove Chapel, Gold Coast, Australia
Ceremony Decorations: Watabe Wedding
Flowers: Always Fabulous Flowers
Videography: Net Productions
Cake: Deliciously Decadent Cakes
Dinner Reception: Palazzo Versace, Vanitas Restaurant
Stationery: Designed by Ann, the bride

“You’re an Asian Barbie!” gasped one of the guests who saw Ann on her wedding day. She was stunning and completely graceful. All those months of meticulous planning had finally paid off. The amazing venue, gorgeous decorations, everything down to the stationery was carefully thought through and planned (even the pre-wedding shoot). Ann even designed all the wedding stationery herself. In my books, she’s super-bride. I am still amazed at how beautiful this wedding was.

I can see how much Jamie loves Ann. They complement each other so well. Jamie & Ann, Alex and I enjoyed ourselves completely at your wedding. It is to date, the longest wedding day I’ve ever photographed (13.5 hours!). Thank you for being so hospitable and caring towards us. You treated us like long lost friends, and I truly appreciate that.

Enjoy the looong post of images. :)

Grace Tan In Chinese Weddings, Church Weddings, Weddings

#NicHil wedding

If you have your very own Twitter hashtag for your wedding, you are automatically in the ‘cool but geeky’ crowd. And if you have no idea what a hashtag is, then you’d better find out, so that you can be cool. But Nic immediately upped the cool factor by chartering a bus to transport his friends and family from Singapore to Malacca for his wedding.

Cheng Leng (also known as Hillary) and Nicholas are friends of mine. Cheng Leng and I have known each other for years, since we were both in school. Then in college, we saw each other almost every other day… had meals together, went to pasar malam together, hung out with the same friends… we had a great time. After we graduated, Cheng Leng worked in KL for a while, but then she moved to Singapore a few years ago. I felt sad to see her go, but thank God for social media networks like Facebook. We kept in touch through the years.

It was great that I could witness the wedding ceremony of Nicholas and Cheng Leng. I wasn’t meant to be there for the wedding, but due to some turn of events, I could be there as a guest! I managed to sneak a few shots during the wedding (all the time a little worried if I was being an ‘Uncle Bob’ to the official photographer).

Presenting, the gorgeous bride…

The one thing that immediately stands out about Cheng Leng – Her smile. She is such a warm and sincere person. I miss her hugs a lot. :)

So I had to give her a BIG hug.